Only Human
by Fifilla
Summary: "We're all human and we all make mistakes. Things like that should never happen, but unfortunately sometimes they do and as much as we'd like to, we cannot undo them." Shameless and almost plotless whump, mixed with angst and bromance.
1. Chapter 1

**Only Human**

**Disclaimer:  
**Unfortunately I don't own anything of Hawaii Five-0, it all belongs to CBS. But I keep dreaming…

**Thanks:  
****JazzieG**, a huge, huge, huuuuuuge thank-you to my wonderful beta reader! Thank you for betaing my story so fast despite all the other stories you have to read! :-)  
I made a few minor changes afterwards; all remaining faults are my own! English is not my native language, so please forgive me my mistakes.  
**rewob17**, you're the best :-) I love our conversations and discussions!

**Notes:  
**This was supposed to be a little one shot to overcome my writer's block but it got a little out of control. So, instead of one chapter, you will get five chapters over the next few days. I hope you don't mind ;-)  
Enjoy the story and please let me know what you think about it…

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**Chapter 1:**

At the end of the day, Steve asked himself for the umpteenth time how the hell he could have been so damn stupid. But as much as he thought about the question he just wasn't able to come up with a satisfying answer.

Bending forward in the uncomfortable plastic chair in the hospital's waiting room, Steve placed his elbows on his knees and viciously scrubbed his hands over his hair before he closed his eyes to hide his face behind his hands. Hands that were still slightly trembling but at least no longer covered in his partner's blood. Snorting humorlessly he tried to find comfort in that stupid little fact but his heart constricted painfully when he remembered the sheer amount of blood that had covered the ground beneath his injured friend. And Danny's ghostly pale complexion. The pain and fear in his eyes. And then the moment when Danny's erratic breathing had faltered and his eyes had closed and no amount of shouting and begging and shaking had helped to wake the unconscious man.

Shuddering visibly, Steve shook his head as he tried to chase away that disturbing image from his inner eye, not caring at all about all the other people in the waiting room. He just ignored all the curious or concerned or sympathetic or sometimes even frightened glances and stayed hidden behind his hands, thinking back to the events that had led to the current situation.

Right now Steve was more than glad that he didn't have to deal with Grace or his team; he just couldn't stand the thought of facing his teammates or having to look into Grace's big brown eyes. He knew he should be out there, helping Chin and Kono cleaning up the mess and closing the investigation. He should be there for Grace; he should be the one explaining to her that her father had been injured. Injured because his boss and partner had made a stupid mistake.

What he had done was a damn rookie mistake. No, if he was honest to himself, it was much more than that, it was just… dumb. Sighing loudly, Steve once more shook his head in utter frustration and concern when his mind refused to come up with a better word. Dumb, thoughtless, unexplainable. How on earth could he have missed something as basic as that? He had risked not only his own safety with his stupid little mistake but also the life of his best friend and partner. The fact that he would probably have to face a disciplinary punishment for his stupidity was something he would think about later. Much later and certainly not before he was sure that Danny would pull through.

Sighing again, Steve rolled his shoulders, wincing when the movement pulled the stitches at the crook of his neck. He was damn lucky that the bullet had missed everything vital, just damaging the fleshy part of his right shoulder, right above the collarbone. A few inches to right and it probably would have done severe damage to his shoulder joint. A few inches to the left and he wouldn't have had to worry about rookie mistakes ever again, when the bullet had ripped his neck and his carotid.

Suppressing another shiver Steve pinched the bridge of his nose to fight the looming headache before he finally opened his eyes and dropped his hands in his lap, slowly leaning back as he scanned his surroundings.

It had all been too close today, much too close for his liking. And it still wasn't alright. The stitches and the white patch on the crook of his neck and the fact that he was still sitting in the crowded waiting room for any word on his partner told clearly that everything was far from alright.

Noticing Danny's doctor, a middle-aged bald-headed man, entering the waiting room, Steve's heart literally stopped for a beat before it started to hammer rapidly in his chest. He had briefly met the man when Danny was brought in but as much as he tried, Steve just couldn't remember his name. He nervously watched how the doctor glanced around until his gaze finally landed on Steve and after a sharp nod of his head the man approached him with almost military looking strides.

Jumping to his feet when he saw the serious look on the doctor's face, Steve swallowed dryly and unconsciously wiped his hands on his pants before he shoved them deeply in his pockets. Suddenly recognizing this untypical gesture that he had definitely learned by watching his partner, Steve hastily removed the hands from his pockets and defiantly crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Tightly gritting his teeth he anxiously waited for the doctor to finally update him on his partner's condition while he tried with all his might to fight off the gruesome and unbidden memories of the previous hours.

**(tbc)**

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Sorry for that really short teaser… more tomorrow or the day after :-)


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites and alerts. You are wonderful!

Here's the next part, I hope you enjoy...

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**Chapter 2:**

_Earlier that day_

"Danno?" Grace asked tentatively from her place on the backseat, her voice barely audible over the roaring of the Camaro's engine.

"Yes, Monkey?" Danny replied after a moment of silence, turning his head to throw a curious glance at his daughter. "What is it?"

Five-0 were waiting for a major arms deal to take place but according to their latest intel said deal wasn't expected to go down before the weekend. It was now late Thursday afternoon and since they were kind of stuck in the current case, Steve had decided to call it a day and make a fresh start the next morning.

Knowing that they all needed a little recreation time Danny had invited the team over for dinner because he knew how much fun Grace had, spending some quality time with her adopted aunt and uncles. Chin and Kono had offered to buy all the ingredients they needed for a nice barbecue while Danny and Steve had made a small detour to pick up Grace from school. They had almost reached Danny's house when Grace had finally started to talk; she had been unusually quiet since she had climbed into the car, just staring out the window, obviously deep in thought about something or other.

"Gracie?" Danny encouraged her gently after another minute of silence, trying not to sound too worried about her strange behavior. He felt that his daughter had something on her mind and he was determined to find out what was bothering her. "You know that you can ask me anything, right?"

Slightly raising her head Grace briefly locked eyes with Danny before her gaze flickered to Steve's service weapon on his right hip. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at her father and asked in a low whisper, "Is there a difference between a toy gun and a real gun?"

Keeping silent for a moment, Danny furrowed his brow and tried to sort his thoughts as he studied his daughter; this was definitely pretty much the last question he'd ever expected from his little girl and he had absolutely no idea where this was coming from or where she was heading to.

Exchanging a quick look with his partner who just raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders but otherwise kept his attention on the traffic, Danny turned around in the passenger's seat and eyeballed his daughter. "Of course there is, Monkey," he said quietly, smiling gently when he saw Grace slightly nodding her head. "But I'm sure you already know that, right?"

"Yes," Grace answered hesitantly, looking down at her fingers that nervously played with a fine thread that stuck out from the hem of her school skirt. "But…" she started, only to interrupt herself immediately and bite her lips; encouraged by Danny's gentle prodding she took a deep breath and continued her explanations. "But Tommy said that they look exactly the same and you don't know the difference until you try to fire a shot," she rattled off, still fiddling with the beige thread. "And not even cops know the difference, and sometimes there are accidents and Tommy said that he had heard about a police officer who had been killed because someone had given him a toy gun instead of a real gun and… IdontwantyoutogetkilledDanno."

The last few words came out in an almost unintelligible whisper and Danny needed a long moment to comprehend their meaning. "Hey, Monkey, everything's alright," he assured his daughter, stretching out his left hand to gently pat Grace's leg when he saw the worry and fear in her big brown eyes. "Let me tell you something, okay?" he asked, slightly squeezing his fingers around her knee until Grace started to squirm under his touch.

"Danno, stop it," she giggled, trying to wriggle herself out of her father's grip. "That tickles."

"Oh, does it?" Danny asked, faking innocence as he continued to move his fingers; he was proud to always have one or the other trick up his sleeve to cheer up his little girl.

"Danno," Grace exclaimed, still giggling as she slapped away Danny's hand. She grinned at him for another moment before the smile slowly disappeared from her face and she got serious again.

"Alright, Grace, listen closely, okay?" Danny said with a little sigh after a final squeeze of Grace's knee. He turned around as far as the seatbelt allowed and locked eyes with his daughter, his left hand still resting on her leg. "First of all, this Tommy guy," he started with a disgusted snort, his gaze briefly flickering to the driver's seat when he noticed the amused smirk on Steve's lips. "He's a jerk," Danny continued without taking further notice of his partner. "And I've told you a thousand times before that you shouldn't listen to him."

"Maybe I should come over and shoot that kid?" Steve suggested under his breath so that only Danny could hear him. "I could show him the difference between a toy gun and a real gun, you know?" he offered with a wink of his eye, knowing full well that that boy was a red rag to his friend.

"Very tempting, Steven," Danny replied equally quietly, looking for a moment as if he honestly considered Steve's offer. "But not helping at the moment," he then added with a roll of his eyes, slapping his hand against Steve's upper arm before he turned back toward his daughter.

"You don't have to whisper, I can hear you both," Grace said from her place on the backset, interrupting the looming mini rant between the two men. A slight smile was creeping across her face as she watched her father and her adopted uncle; she didn't know why, but listening to their arguments always made her happy.

"Oh, is that right?" Danny asked, quickly placing his hand back on her knee and resuming his tickling. "Then take this as punishment for eavesdropping."

"Daaaannoooo, stop it," Grace half wailed and half giggled, trying to push Danny's hand away but he just switched to her other leg which made her giggle even louder. "Uncle Steve, help me!"

"Oh, I don't think so, Monkey," Danny said with a wink of his eye, stopping for a moment to give Grace a little time to catch her breath. "Not even SuperSEAL here is capable of driving my car AND saving my daughter at the same time," he added good-humoredly before he flashed Grace an impish grin and started all over again which sent her right into the next giggling fit.

"We're there," Steve announced half a minute later when he pulled the Camaro into a parking slot in front of Danny's house and turned off the engine. Removing the seatbelt he also turned around in his seat and watched the interaction between father and daughter for a moment, smiling brightly about Danny's perpetual ability to make Grace happy.

Loudly clearing his throat, Steve tried to put on a solemn face when he interrupted the pair in front of him. "Excuse me, Miss. I'm with Five-0. Do you need help?" he asked, winking at Grace before he playfully narrowed his eyes and scowled at his partner.

"Yes, please. Help me," Grace laughed out, once more slapping Danny's hand away. "You have to arrest him," she said breathlessly, pointing accusingly at her father who played along and raised his hands in defense.

"Traitor," Danny quickly murmured towards his daughter before he turned around and faced his partner. "Alright, I give up." Thinking for a moment, he suddenly burst into laughter; dropping his hands, he cocked his head a little bit to the right and smirked at the other man, "Now I'm curious, Steven. Do you want me to book myself?"

* * *

"Why don't we go inside and finish that talk about toy guns and real guns?" Danny asked reluctantly when he exited the car and folded the passenger's seat so that Grace was able to climb out. "Then you can tell me what you're worried about, okay?"

As much as he would have liked to forget about the whole topic, he knew that Grace was never satisfied until they talked it through and she got the answers she was searching for. "Go ahead, Monkey. I'll be right after you, I just need to talk to Uncle Steve for a moment," Danny said, placing a kiss on top of Grace's head before he sent her inside.

He couldn't help but start to smile when he watched her run the short distance to the front door, her pigtails bobbing up and down with every step she made. But then the smile disappeared as fast as it had come and Danny heaved a deep sigh, wearily scrubbing a hand over his face as he rounded the car and approached his friend.

"Steve, wait a second, would you?" he begged, placing a hand on Steve's forearm to stop him from entering the house. "I could really use some advice here."

Waiting a moment until Grace had opened the front door and stepped inside the house, Danny breathed out another sigh and slowly shook his head. "I really, really, really don't want to talk to my daughter about guns," he confessed quietly, locking eyes with his partner. "Why on earth is she asking such questions? She's just a little girl. She's supposed to play with dolls or go to her cheerleader training or watch cheesy movies. Hell, or even play tennis." Danny breathed heavily by the time he had finished, running his hands over his hair and throwing Steve a pleading look.

Watching the onslaught of emotions on Danny's face, Steve quickly bit back the cheeky comment he had on the tip of his tongue, knowing better than to tease the smaller man when he was clearly worried about his daughter.

Keeping silent for a moment to search for the right words that would be able to calm down his friend, Steve slowly began to smile when a sudden thought crossed his mind. "I think you should just show her that this Tommy guy has absolutely no idea what he's talking about," he suggested, starting to pull his weapon out of his holster.

"Whoa, what are you doing, you Neanderthal animal?" Danny interrupted him, shaking his head in disbelief when he watched Steve fiddling with his gun. "You are aware of the fact that you can't just go and shoot a little boy, right? I mean, as tempting as your offer is, I don't think that will solve my problems."

"Very funny, Danny," Steve replied with a roll of his eyes, looking up from his weapon to meet Danny's gaze. "That's not what I had in mind. I think you should show Grace…"

"No, no, no, Steven, definitely not!" Danny called out when he finally realized Steve's plan; vigorously shaking his head, he stared wide-eyed at the taller man. "Have you lost your goddamn mind? I'm not letting my daughter touch a weapon. And now put your gun away. End of discussion."

"End of discussion? We didn't even start yet," Steve replied impatiently, this time not willing to get into another argument with his partner. "Nothing can happen, Danny. Relax, okay?" He professionally removed the magazine from his weapon and put it away into one of the many pockets of his cargo pants, then he double-checked the chamber and the barrel for any remaining bullets. "See? I removed the ammo clip, it's completely safe now."

"I don't care if you removed the ammo clip or not," Danny replied heatedly, still shaking his head about Steve's idea. "I just don't want my daughter to come near a weapon. Do you understand me, Steven?" he pressed through gritted teeth, dangerously narrowing his eyes as he pointed at the gun in Steve's hands. "And now Put. It. Away."

"Hey, calm down. Or you might suffer a stroke," Steve said nonchalantly, nodding half-amused and half-worried at Danny's bright red face.

"I will calm down once you put away your gun and drop that stupid idea of handing my daughter a weapon," Danny huffed out angrily. "What the hell is wrong inside that crazy brain of yours, huh?" he asked with an excessive wave of his hands, the volume of his voice just below the level of shouting.

"Okay listen, Danny," Steve said with an impatient little sigh after a moment of uncomfortable silence when both men just stared at each other. "Do you trust me?"

Narrowing his eyes even more, Danny glared belligerently at his partner before he visibly deflated and all the tension seemed to flee his body. "That's not fair," he sighed tiredly, pointing his forefinger directly at Steve's chest. "You know perfectly well that I trust you with my life… and with the life of my daughter," he added after a short moment of contemplation.

"Then you know that I'd never do anything that could harm her," Steve said sincerely. "Let me handle this, okay?" Locking eyes with his friend he didn't blink once as he waited for Danny's affirmation which finally came in form of a slight nod and another weary sigh.

"Good," Steve said contentedly. "After all, guns are my playground, right?" Juggling with the unloaded weapon in his right hand he slapped his free hand on Danny's shoulder and flashed him a bright grin that made Danny inwardly groan, worrying silently about how much Steve actually enjoyed the whole topic.

* * *

"Alright, Gracie," Steve said gently, looking down at his adopted niece who was sitting on the couch next to him and curiously stared back at him. "I'm sure you have seen and handled a toy weapon before, right? Maybe on Halloween?"

"Yes, of course," Grace answered, her gaze briefly flickering to her father. "But Danno always says that guns are no toys and you never should point a gun at another person, not even a toy gun."

"That's right," Danny murmured from his place at the other side of the coffee table, obviously pleased that his daughter remembered and heeded his teachings.

"And he's right about that," Steve nodded, ignoring Danny's mumbling and concentrating solely on the girl in front of him. "Do you remember what the toy gun felt like? What was it made from? Was it heavy?"

"It was made from plastic, I think," Grace said pensively, scrunching her face when she thought about Steve's questions. "It wasn't heavy and it felt like… a toy." She shrugged her shoulders and finally shook her head when she couldn't think of anything else.

"Okay, good," Steve said with an encouraging smile before he turned his head and briefly locked eyes with Danny, silently willing him to relax when he noticed his tensed posture.

Hesitantly nodding in return Danny weakly waved his right hand through the air to give his okay; he still didn't feel comfortable with Steve's plan but he trusted his partner more than anybody else so he decided heavy-heartedly that once in his lifetime he would just shut his mouth, lean back and observe.

"Good," Steve repeated as he turned his attention back to Grace; watching her for a long moment he slowly and carefully pulled his gun from his holster. It felt different without the magazine that he had removed earlier and that was still safely stowed away in one of his pockets; the gun felt definitely lighter than usual and somewhat imbalanced in his grip as he placed it onto his outstretched left hand and presented it to Grace. "I want you to take it," he said quietly, slightly raising his hand. "Tell me if it feels like a toy gun."

Staring wide-eyed at the weapon, Grace slowly blinked a few times and hesitantly looked up to meet her uncle's gaze. "Really?" she whispered, not daring to move a single muscle.

"It's perfectly safe, you can take it," Steve encouraged her gently with another nod of his head. He knew that Grace was a very clever and responsible girl and that she would never try to take the weapon without his or her father's permission.

Swallowing visibly Grace turned around and nervously knotted her fingers. "May I, Danno?" she asked shyly, looking like she half hoped and half feared for Danny's agreement.

"When your uncle Steve says it's safe then you can trust him," Danny answered, forcing a tiny smile onto his dry lips. "You don't have to take it if you feel uncomfortable, Monkey. But if you want to know what a real gun feels like now might be the best time for it." _And the only time_, Danny added silently, swearing to himself that he would never again listen to any of his partner's stupid ideas.

It took all of Danny's willpower to stay calm when he watched his little girl slowly taking the gun from Steve's hand and cautiously examining it. After a moment of silent awe Grace started to ask questions about the weapon and its functioning, hesitantly at first but with more and more curiosity the longer Steve talked and explained everything in simple words so that the 11-year-old could easily understand him.

Danny relaxed a tiny bit while he listened to Steve's voice, calmly answering every single one of Grace's question, but he still had to restrain himself from jumping up and yanking the gun out of his girl's grip. Startling in surprise when his cell phone suddenly started to chirp and buzz on the table in front of him, he unclenched his fists, huffed out a deep breath and ran his hands over his hair before he finally grabbed the little device and stood up.

"Hey Chin, what's up?" he cheerfully answered the phone after a quick look at the caller's ID, walking away from the couch to not disturb Steve and Grace. "Where are you?" Danny asked, strolling toward the window to throw a look outside. His stomach started to grumble when he thought about the upcoming barbecue and all the tasty stuff Chin and Kono were supposed to bring along and he smiled in anticipation. "We're all getting hungry. You really should hurry up or…"

"_Listen, Danny,"_ Chin interrupted him curtly; the serious tone of his voice instantly crashing all hopes of a relaxing dinner and Danny sighed silently. _"We got new intel, the arms deal was obviously moved up, it's supposed to take place in twenty minutes,"_ he explained breathlessly, sounding as if he was walking very fast while he rattled off all the facts. _"SWAT has been informed; they're already on their way. I'll send you the address, meet us there."_

For a moment Danny could hear loud background noises and then Chin suddenly ended the call before Danny could even voice his agreement. "Damn," he whispered, briefly closing his eyes in defeat; that was definitely not how he had pictured his evening.

Taking a deep breath he quickly pulled himself together and turned around to inform his partner. "We gotta go," Danny said with a wave of his hand; he was just about to explain what was going on when Steve's phone also started to ring.

"It's the Governor," Steve said after a look at the device, quickly taking the gun from Grace's small hands and putting it back into the holster as he stood up. "What's wrong?" he asked curtly, his thumb hovering over the display as he stared at his friend. He needed to know what was going on; otherwise he wouldn't be able to give the Governor the answers the man was probably calling for.

"Arms deal got moved up," Danny explained as fast as possible, before he repeated urgently. "We gotta go, right now."

Nodding in agreement, Steve gently petted Grace's hair and mouthed a quick excuse, already walking toward the door when he finally answered the call. "Governor?" he said, slightly scrunching up his face when he heard the angry reply. "Yes, I know, Sir. We're on our way, we…" The rest of the sentence was drowned out when Steve opened the door and headed for the waiting Camaro, leaving Danny behind to deal with his daughter.

Looking after his partner, Danny heaved a deep sigh before he turned toward his little girl and opened his arms. "Come here, Gracie," he said, hugging her tightly and pressing a kiss on her hair as soon as he had stepped into his embrace. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go." He kissed her again, then he reluctantly ended the hug and slowly retreated a small step to look down at Grace. "I'm going to call Mrs. Mekeliki and ask her to look after you until I'm back, alright?" Danny said gently, referring to one of his neighbors. Mrs. Mekeliki was a retired nurse who had offered to keep an eye on Grace if Danny was not available and Grace loved not only the old lady but also her poodle 'Bones'.

Grace's face lit up as soon as she heard Mrs. Mekeliki's name and she almost bounced in anticipation. "Do you think I can play with Bones?" she asked, her brown eyes glistening with joy when she thought of the little white dog, toy guns and real guns suddenly forgotten.

"I'm sure you can do that," Danny replied good-naturedly, once more pulling his daughter into a quick hug before he joined his partner. "Love you, Monkey."

"Love you more, Danno," Grace replied, enthusiastically waving after her father until his black Camaro disappeared from her view.

**(tbc)**

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Yes, of course there will be whump ;-) Be patient and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Ten minutes, more telephone calls with the Governor, the SWAT team leader, Chin, Kono and Mrs. Mekeliki, as well as a good old rant concerning Steve's driving style later, said Camaro came to a halt in front of an old warehouse at the outskirts of Honolulu.

The screeching of the tires cut loudly through the eerie silence of the early evening but once Steve had shut down the engine there was no other sound or movement around them. The place seemed to be abandoned for years and nothing indicated that a major arms deal was going to take place here and now.

"Where is everyone?" Danny asked, furrowing his brow as he looked around. He squinted his eyes when the orange light of the evening sun reflected in the broken windows of the huge brick building. "This is the right address, isn't it?"

"I think so," Steve replied when he looked into the rearview mirror, searching for any sign of a black SWAT transporter, Chin's signature motorcycle or Kono's red Chevy. "I guess they'll be here any minute. Come on, Danno, let's gear up," he said, nodding his head toward the trunk of the car where their bulletproof vests were neatly stowed away. Placing his left hand on the door handle, Steve hesitated a moment, smirking slightly when he waited for the inevitable outburst that would surely follow.

"How many times, Steven," Danny started with an annoyed roll of his eyes but the tone of his voice was rather playful, indicating that he didn't really mind the use of his nickname. "How many times have I told you…"

But he wasn't able to finish the sentence because suddenly the passenger's window and, a millisecond later, the dashboard in front of him exploded with a loud bang.

"Whoa," Danny exclaimed, needing a stunningly long moment to process what was happening.

"Get down," Steve shouted when more shots rang out, sending pieces of glass, plastic and leather through the air. "Semi-automatic rifle."

"Really Steven?" Danny ranted hoarsely as he sought cover, ducking down as far as possible in the limited space of the Camaro's driver's cab and covering his head with his hands to protect himself from flying shards. "Semi-automatic rifle? Perhaps you want to tell me about the type or caliber?" He was interrupted by more shots, hissing in pain when a piece of glass scraped across his right arm, leaving a bloody trail across his lower arm and wrist. "They're shooting at us, in case you didn't notice. I really don't care what kind of weapon they use."

"Are you done?" Steve asked impatiently, slightly raising his head to throw a look outside but he was immediately forced to duck back down when the shooting increased in intensity. "We're sitting ducks in here; we need to get out of the car."

"Are you crazy?" Danny replied, shaking his head in disbelief. "They are shooting at us, for heaven's sake. There's no way we'll make it out of here in one piece."

"On three, okay?" Steve said with a grin, oblivious to the blood that was trickling down his face from a small cut on his right cheek. "Oh, and by the way, Danno; it's probably an AK-22, caliber 22LR."

"Freak!" Danny muttered under his breath, wincing in surprise when the next bullet missed his head by barely an inch. "Okay, that one was much too close for my liking," he said, locking eyes with his partner. "You cover me?"

"On three," Steve nodded, trying to grab his weapon but there was no chance he could reach it while he was curled up on his right side, using every inch of the confined space behind the steering wheel. This was actually the first time he wished that they had taken his spacious truck instead of Danny's small roadster. But now was not the time to dwell on those thoughts, he just had to be really quick once he got out of the car.

Noticing contentedly that Danny had been more successful and that his partner already had his weapon at the ready, Steve took a deep breath and started to count. At three, both doors of the black car flew open and Danny and Steve rolled out of the car in a more or less smooth movement.

The shooters – by now, Steve was pretty sure that there was more than one – were obviously hiding in the abandoned warehouse which gave Steve the benefit that he was able to use the Camaro for cover. Danny on the other hand wasn't so lucky and he immediately started to shoot back to buy himself enough time to round the car and join his partner.

Reaching for his own weapon to back up his friend, Steve pulled the gun out of the holster and instantly knew that something was wrong. The weapon felt wrong, imbalanced and much too light in his grip and suddenly realization hit him like a train when he felt the dead weight of the magazine burning a hole in his left pocket. His blood turned to ice and for the blink of an eye the breath caught in his throat and the world around him seemed to stand still.

But then he was forcefully thrown back into reality when the next bullets hit with a metallic sound, leaving a row of nasty holes in the passenger's side of the car. Steve just had a split second to decide if he should reach for his spare weapon in his ankle holster or if he should try to snatch the ammo clip out of his pocket, but before he could act one way or another he heard Danny's cry of pain, closely followed by the sickening sound of a body dashing against the metal frame of the vehicle.

"Danny!" Steve shouted as he reached into his pocket and finally put the magazine back into his weapon in one swift movement. Shooting over the roof of the car he tried to see what was wrong with his partner but the ongoing shots from the warehouse forced him to crouch back down. "Danny! You alright? Answer me!"

Slowly crawling nearer to the back of the car, he cautiously stood up once more and fired a few more rounds toward the building. "Danny!" he called out a third time, desperately trying to remain calm.

There was an agonizingly long moment of silence before Steve finally heard his partner's voice and he briefly squeezed his eyes shut in relief.

"Shit… Steve… I'm hit…" Steve heard Danny's weak groan and a moment later his partner laboriously limped around the back of the car as fast as his injury allowed. Still clasping his gun Danny clumsily fired over his shoulder, only very vaguely in the direction of the warehouse.

Crumpling down as soon as he had dragged himself into the relatively safe cover of the car, Danny breathed out a strangled moan. "I'm hit," he repeated shakily, numbly staring down at the gunshot wound in his left thigh and the rapidly growing pool of blood. "Shit, that hurts," he hissed, grimacing in pain as he weakly leaned against the left back tire. Dropping his weapon he clutched his injured leg with both hands in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding, gritting his teeth against the new onslaught of pain.

Steve fired shot after shot over the roof of the car until his gun finally clicked empty and he just hoped that they had been able to keep the shooters in check until backup arrived. He was just about to crouch down to tend to his partner when the window next to him burst and he was spun around from the impact of a bullet. Feeling his knees give way, Steve awkwardly slumped down next to his friend, for a brief moment not sure about what had just happened. But then he felt a searing pain above his right collarbone at the crook of his neck and when he raised his left hand to touch the area, he was not at all surprised when it came back blood-smeared.

"Steve… you okay?" Danny asked, breathing heavily as he turned his head to catch a glimpse of his friend.

"Yeah…" Steve replied hesitantly, needing a moment to catch his breath and taking stock of his injury. "Yes," he repeated a moment later when he was sure that he suffered only a nasty flesh wound. "Yes, I'm good." He struggled to his feet, making sure that he kept his head low enough to avoid more bullets as he crawled over to check on Danny.

"It's just a scratch," Steve murmured reassuringly, ignoring the wave of pain that rushed through his body every time he moved his right arm or his head. "Now we need to worry about you. Let me see your leg, Danny."

"Just… a scratch?" Danny asked, tiredly blinking as he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. His gaze traveled sluggishly from Steve's face to the wound on his shoulder and he slowly shook his head. "Then… why are you… bleeding… like a stuck pig?" He weakly raised his trembling right hand and pointed accusingly at the blood that covered the front of Steve's gray T-shirt. Danny's breathing was rapid and shallow and a fine sheet of sweat was covering his pale face.

"Look who's talking," Steve replied, trying to keep his voice calm and steady. He closely examined Danny's thigh and worriedly gritted his teeth about the amount of blood that was still pouring from the gunshot wound. "Danny, I think an artery might be nicked," he said urgently, looking up to meet Danny's gaze.

A pang of fear rushed through his system when he noticed that Danny's eyes were closed and he tried his best to stay calm. "Hey, no sleeping. Stay awake, okay?" Steve said loudly, briefly patting Danny's cheek before he put a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. "Danny? Do you hear me?"

"I… hear… you," Danny nodded weakly as he struggled to open his eyes. Looking up, he saw the deep lines of worry and concern in his friend's face and he immediately got a little bit more alert. "Artery?" he asked, picking up Steve's line from before. "That's… that's not… good, is it?" He breathed out, licking his dry lips as he studied Steve's expression. "At least… your face says… it's not… good."

"No, it's not," Steve answered honestly, locking eyes with his partner; he needed Danny to stay as calm as possible. "But I'm here, okay? You will be fine, everything will be alright. Just stay awake. Help is on the way," he rattled off, hoping that his voice didn't show the desperation he was feeling. He was distantly aware of the fact that the shooting had finally stopped a few moments ago, but when he briefly looked around there was still no sign of the much needed backup.

"Hey, you still with me?" Steve asked, tightly squeezing his friend's shoulder when he saw that Danny obviously had trouble keeping his eyes open.

"Of course… Nowhere else… I need to be… right now," Danny murmured tiredly. His hands were lying limply at each side of his body and his head bobbed forward every now and then while his chest heaved up and down with every struggling breath he took.

"Good. That's good, Danny. Just stay with me, okay? You're doing really good," Steve said, hoping to keep his partner awake until help arrived.

Looking around for anything he could use as a tourniquet, his gaze finally fell on Danny's black leather belt and he grinned humorlessly, knowing exactly that Danny wouldn't be happy with what he was going to do. "I need to stop the bleeding," Steve explained as he swiftly opened the silver buckle and began to remove Danny's belt.

"What the hell… are you doing?" Danny asked, weakly trying to swat Steve's hand away but all he managed to do was leave a bloody trail on Steve's wrist. "Stop molesting me, Steven… people will talk…" he said in between erratic gasps, his whole body trembling from shock and pain. "Despite what everyone thinks, we're not a couple…"

"Stop talking, Danny," Steve interrupted him impatiently, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly when he heard the familiar rant. As long as Danny was able to voice his opinion in such a manner, he surely must be alright. "Save your breath, okay?"

Finally having fiddled the belt out of its loops, Steve wrapped the piece of leather around Danny's thigh as gently as possible, but nevertheless the movement made Danny shift in pain.

"Alright Danny," Steve said sincerely, giving Danny's shoulder another squeeze as the two men exchanged a look. "I'm going to tighten the tourniquet now. That's probably going to hurt like hell but you'll get through it, okay?"

The lines of pain on Danny's face morphed into an expression of panic and fear but he just swallowed dryly and slightly nodded his head, trusting his partner to do what was necessary. Slightly bending forward Danny leaned his forehead against Steve's uninjured shoulder and fisted his right hand in the fabric of his pants. "Do it," he said through gritted teeth, hoping to get it over with before he could change his mind.

"I'm sorry," Steve replied silently as he grabbed both ends of the belt, once more pushing his own pain from his injured shoulder to the back of his mind. Losing no more time he tightened the makeshift tourniquet as far as possible, eliciting an agonized groan from his injured friend. Danny's head pressed against his shoulder and Steve felt the other man's body going rigid when Danny tensed all his muscles for a short moment; but then all the fight seemed to leave the smaller man and he limply sagged forward under Steve's hands.

"Dammit," Steve hissed through gritted teeth, gently guiding Danny's unconscious form down to the ground. "Danny! Can you hear me? Open your eyes, Danny, come on," Steve commanded, at the same time checking the tourniquet he had just applied. He worriedly furrowed his brow when there was still blood seeping from the nasty wound. Trying to tighten the belt even more around Danny's leg, Steve didn't notice the black SWAT truck that was finally approaching the old warehouse.

A soft, almost inaudible moan drew Steve's attention to Danny's face and he flashed his partner a tense, slightly relieved smile when Danny sluggishly blinked at him.

"Steve?" Danny asked hoarsely, frowning in surprise when he saw Steve's face hovering above him. "What… what happened?" He moaned again and restlessly shifted on the hard ground. "Where… am I? What… happened?"

"You got shot, buddy," Steve explained calmly, worried about the complete disorientation in Danny's eyes.

"Shot?" Danny repeated hesitantly, staring at Steve as if he had heard that word for the first time in his life. He blinked sluggishly, his breath still coming in pained, rapid gasps. Grimacing in confusion, Danny's gaze fell on Steve's blood-soaked T-shirt and he vigorously shook his head. "Shot? You?" he stammered, trying to lock eyes with his partner but his gaze was unsteady and he obviously had trouble concentrating on his surroundings.

"I'm fine, Danny don't worry," Steve replied, placing one hand on Danny's shoulder while he grabbed Danny's right hand with his own. "Just stay calm, okay? Everything will be alright."

Desperately looking up, Steve almost laughed out in relief when he finally realized that backup had arrived. "Help's here, Danny," he reassured his friend. "Everything will be alright. Just hang on."

"Steve?" Danny asked in a hoarse whisper, weakly squeezing the other man's hand. "I'm cold… why am I… so cold?" His whole body was trembling and his complexion was so pale that his skin almost seemed translucent. He sucked in the air in rapid, shallow breaths, his nostrils flaring from the effort of getting enough oxygen.

"Calm down, Danny, everything will be alright," Steve repeated helplessly over and over again before he turned around to shout over his shoulder. "Hey, officer down. We need an ambulance here." He vaguely remembered seeing Chin and two or three SWAT members running in his direction, trusting his teammate to handle the situation and call for help.

"Gracie?"

Danny's voice made Steve whirl around and look back down at his partner. By now Danny seemed to be barely conscious, his eyes half closed and his mouth limply hanging open.

"Grace is not here, buddy," Steve reassured him with a squeeze of his hand. "She's at home, she's safe."

"No," Danny insisted, his tongue darting out to lick his dry lips. "No," he repeated hoarsely with a weak shake of his head. "Gun… she had… a gun," Danny said, becoming more and more agitated with every passing second. "Steve… don't let her… no gun…," he stammered incoherently, his eyes suddenly wide open as he stared at his friend. "Promise… me," he begged breathlessly, squeezing Steve's hand in absolute panic.

"I promise, Danny. Nothing will happen to her," Steve replied, trying with all his might to calm Danny down. "I promise she's safe."

Looking wide-eyed at the dark-haired man, Danny kept silent for a long moment, furrowing his brow as if he had to think about Steve's words. "Good… that's… good," he finally whispered, a slight, peaceful smile creeping across his lips before his eyes closed, his head rolled limply to the side and his erratic breathing stopped.

**(tbc)**

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You know how much I love cliffhangers, right? ;-)


	4. Chapter 4

I'm so sorry but I wasn't able to respond to all your fantastic reviews - thank you so much, I really appreciate every single one of them!

Alright, here's the next part... back to where we left in chapter 1.

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**Chapter 4:**

Staring anxiously at Danny's doctor, Steve took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, wincing slightly when the movement pulled at the wound on his neck. "How…" he started but he had to interrupt himself to clear his throat when his emotions threatened to overcome him. "How is he, Doc?" he blurted out hoarsely without preamble, his arms tightly crossed in front of his chest.

Steve had met the man a few hours earlier when they had arrived at the hospital and Danny had been rushed into surgery without further delay, so in Steve's eyes there was no need to exchange further pleasantries and he nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he impatiently waited for the doctor to reply.

"Detective Williams made it through surgery," the bald-headed doctor answered tersely but the serious look on his face did nothing to make Steve feel better.

"Will he be alright?" Steve pressed, not caring at all if he sounded impolite. All he needed to know was how his partner was doing.

"He lost a great amount of blood," the doctor explained quietly, almost invisibly shrugging his shoulders. "It was touch and go a few times but we finally managed to close the tear in his femoral artery." He briefly raised his right hand when Steve opened his mouth to prevent him from asking more questions. "He's still in critical condition and the next 12 to 24 hours will be crucial," he continued, finally offering Steve a weary smile. "But he's young and healthy and barring any unforeseen complications, I believe that he will make a full recovery."

Staring at the doctor for a long moment, Steve finally exhaled shakily and scrubbed his hands over his face; critical condition was not the term he had hoped to hear but for now he was grateful that Danny was alive.

"Thank you, Doc," Steve said, relief evident in his voice. A good amount of the pent-up tension left his body and he took a small step backward as if he wanted to sit back down but then he slightly shook his head and locked eyes with the other man. "Can I see him?"

"He just came out of surgery and is on his way to the ICU right now," the doctor answered apologetically but with a firm undertone that allowed no contradiction. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow any visitors before tomorrow morning."

Listening to the doctor's refusal, Steve felt how all of his worry and concern suddenly turned into a mixture of anger and annoyance and he glared petulantly at the man in front of him. He needed to see his partner, see with his own eyes that Danny was still alive and breathing, and he just wasn't going to accept the doctor's orders.

Steve just opened his mouth to come up with a fitting answer when he suddenly heard Danny's voice in his mind, as clearly as if the man stood right next to him, calling him an uncouth Neanderthal animal with absolutely no manners. Almost jumping in surprise because the voice in his head was so real, he just stared at the bald-headed doctor and swallowed down whatever he had intended to say.

The doctor had always been friendly and competent, doing his best to inform him about Danny's condition as soon as possible, so he deserved at least some politeness in return. Trying to swallow down his anger and impatience, Steve forced a small smile and said as nicely as he was able to, "Doctor, I really need to see my partner. I need to…"

Raising both of his hands, the doctor interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. The two men stared at each other for a moment, neither of them willing to sheer from his point of view.

"Listen, Commander McGarrett," the doctor finally said with a little sigh. He pensively looked at Steve, pondering on the best words to get through to him. "You and me, we've had the same training. So I know that _you_ know how to follow orders and accept rules."

"You served?" Steve asked once he had realized what the doctor's words meant. He raised his eyebrows and looked curiously at the other man.

"Captain Richard Haygood," the doctor finally introduced himself with a little nod of his head. "I was a Flight Surgeon for the majority of my career," he explained clipped. "The last few years I served on board the USS George Washington before I decided that it's finally time to settle down, and I thought that Hawaii might be the perfect place."

"Don't let Danny hear you say that," Steve snorted under his breath but he now looked at the other man with new-born respect and curiosity. He already sensed that it might be a waste of effort but nevertheless he tried again to convince Dr. Haygood. "Doctor, I really need to see my partner," he repeated, not caring that he sounded a bit desperate. "I… I just need to see if he's alright," Steve added in low whisper, feeling a shudder running down his spine when he recalled the shooting and the pain and fear in Danny's eyes.

Eyeballing the taller man from head to toe, the doctor took in Steve's tense posture and the lines of stress and fatigue on his face. He knew that the Commander needed a good night's sleep, not only to recover from his own injuries, and he was more than willing to order him to go home, but he also saw the determination in his eyes that barely covered the worry for his friend.

Sighing silently, Dr. Haygood swallowed down the comment he had on the tip of his tongue and then simply nodded his head; during his military days he had encountered enough comradeship to see that McGarrett and Williams were close and that the Commander would never leave before he had seen his partner.

"Alright, you can see him," Dr. Haygood finally gave in, once more raising his hands when Steve started to speak. "But only on two conditions."

"And they are?" Steve asked in annoyance, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the doctor. He was tired, he hurt and most of all he worried for Danny, and suddenly he just couldn't bring up enough patience to be polite anymore.

"First of all, you can't stay longer than five minutes today," Dr. Haygood started, obviously not at all impressed by Steve's foul mood. "You have to understand that Detective Williams was seriously injured. He almost died," he said bluntly, almost regretting his words when he saw Steve flinch. "I'm sure you don't want to risk his recovery, because I certainly don't. Right now he needs all the rest he can get."

"Okay," Steve agreed in a hoarse whisper; he would never do anything that endangered Danny's well-being. "What's the second condition?" he asked, once again crossing his arms in front of chest as if to protect himself from the doctor's words.

The doctor's gaze briefly flickered to the white patch that was just visible below the neckline of Steve's T-shirt and he gave the other man a sympathetic smile. "You were injured too and you look like you had a rough day. Go home and try to get some sleep," he said, knowing full well that McGarrett probably didn't agree with his suggestions. "Come back tomorrow morning and you can stay at Detective Williams' side as long as you want to." Stretching out his right hand, he looked expectantly at Steve as he asked, "Do we have a deal, Commander?"

Seeing the doctor's no-nonsense attitude Steve took a deep breath and hesitantly unfolded his arms before he took Dr. Haygood's offered hand and slowly nodded his head. "Alright, Captain. I accept your rules," he agreed grudgingly, strongly doubting that he would be able to get much sleep while Danny was lying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life.

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Contrary to his own assumption, Steve was fast asleep as soon as his head had touched the pillow and he slept surprisingly well and dreamless for almost six hours. Skipping his usual morning swim due to his injury, he went for a quick run, showered in a record time of two and a half minutes and raced to the hospital without even thinking about breakfast.

Grabbing a cup of coffee from one of the vending machines at the hospital, Steve briefly called his team and Grace as he went straight to the ICU and asked for his partner as politely as possible. Bracing himself for the certain refusal of the nurses to let him in at such an early hour, he was pleasantly surprised when they just smiled at him and showed him the way. Making a mental note to thank Dr. Haygood who had obviously prepared the nurses for his visit, he listened to their explanation of Danny's current condition.

Obviously his partner had been awake a few times during the night and his vital signs had improved tremendously since he had come out of surgery. Danny had to stay in the ICU for at least a few more hours because he required another blood transfusion but according to the nurses he was doing great and was no longer listed as critical.

Despite the good news Steve swallowed heavily when he dropped down into the lonely chair at Danny's bedside and took in his partner's appearance. Danny looked a tiny bit better than the evening before and at least the oxygen mask had been replaced by a nasal cannula but he was still incredibly pale, with dark circles underneath his eyes and deep lines of stress on his forehead.

Leaning forward in his chair, Steve placed his elbows on his knees and cradled the paper cup between his hands, now and then taking a sip of coffee as he waited for Danny to wake up.

Two and a half hours later Steve was still sitting in the same position, still watching his still sleeping partner. Neither man had moved much; Danny once in a while shifted restlessly which in turn caused Steve to jump up from his chair, only to disappointedly sit back down when Danny soundly slept on.

Unconsciously fiddling with the long empty paper cup in his hands, Steve's thoughts once more drifted back to the events of the day before. Ever since he sat down in the chair at Danny's bedside he had re-experienced every single second of the shooting over and over again, wracking his brain about what he possibly could have changed.

First of all he probably should have listened to Danny and not insisted on showing Grace his damn weapon. Then he would have never removed the ammo clip, he would have been able to shoot back quicker and maybe his partner wouldn't have been injured.

"Yeah, maybe," Steve laughed out humorlessly, shaking his head when his mind mercilessly circled around that one thought. He just should have been quicker and first of all he should never have forgotten to replace that damn magazine.

Minutes trickled by slower than Steve would ever have considered possible and after two more hours he just couldn't stand the silence and motionlessness anymore. Worried about Danny's prolonged stage of sleep he talked to the nurses but they just smiled at him and assured him that resting was the best Danny could do at the moment, and so Steve reluctantly left his partner's side to relieve himself, get another cup of coffee as well as something to eat and make a few necessary phone calls to inform his team and Grace about Danny's current condition.

It was almost 45 minutes later when Steve finally returned to the ICU, a lot later than he had originally intended to, but the phone call to Grace hadn't gone at all how he had planned it. Grace was more than devastated that she still wasn't allowed to visit her Danno and it took all of Steve's power to calm her tears and convince her that her father was going to be fine and that she could come to the hospital as soon as Danny had been moved to a private room.

Steve just passed the nurses' station when he was stopped by Dr. Haygood, learning that his stubborn partner had obviously chosen the very moment Steve had left his side to finally wake up. Not wasting another second, he rushed into the room and stopped dead in his tracks when he took in the scene in front of him.

"Dammit, Danny," Steve whispered, half angrily and half laughingly when he found his partner once more sound asleep. Shaking his head in amazement, he took a deep breath and resignedly resumed his former position in the uncomfortable plastic chair.

**(tbc)**

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One more chapter to go… I hope you're still enjoying the story.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much for sticking around until the end and for all your fantastic reviews, they really made my day :-)

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**Chapter 5:**

Danny didn't know what exactly had woken him, but from one second to the next he was suddenly wide awake.

Keeping his eyes closed he just lay there motionless for another moment, trying to take in his surroundings and take stock of his injury and how he actually felt. Other than the last times he had been awake, this time he felt different, much more rested and relaxed – to be honest, he almost felt good.

Thinking about it a little longer, Danny breathed in and out slowly and deeply; yes, he really felt good. Well, at least as long as he didn't try to move too much, because every inconsiderate movement sent a wave of numb pain from his left thigh down his whole leg.

Taking another deep breath, he slowly blinked his eyes open and looked around. The hospital room still looked the same as the last few times Danny had been awake with one exception, he was no longer alone. His partner was standing in front of the only window, obviously lost in his own thoughts as he gazed outside.

Pensively studying Steve's back, Danny knew instantly that something was wrong. Steve's rigid posture, the arms that were tightly crossed in front of his chest, the slightly hunched shoulders but most of all the fact that he hadn't noticed that Danny was awake, clearly spoke for themselves.

Licking his dry lips, Danny swallowed laboriously and silently cleared his throat. Pondering on his next words, he sighed faintly before a small smile crept across his lips.

"Hey babe, what's that face?" he asked matter-of-factly, grimacing slightly when he heard the scratchiness of his own voice.

Not at all surprised when Steve whirled around and stared at him like he had seen a ghost, Danny smirked at his partner and casually stretched his limbs. He was already tired of lying in that hospital bed but his doctor had told him earlier that he needed to stay for at least another two or three days.

"Danny," Steve exclaimed, approaching the bed with large strides before he speechlessly stared at his partner.

"Yep," Danny replied nonchalantly, cautiously shifting his weight without moving his injured leg too much. "Last time I checked, that was my name." Nodding his chin towards the other man he raised his eyebrows and repeated his question, "So, what about that kicked puppy face you just put on display?"

"Okay, first of all, I don't have a face, let alone a 'kicked puppy face', as you like to call it," Steve answered, giving Danny a look of annoyance. "And second off, you simply weren't able to see my face, since I was clearly looking out the window."

"Oh, but I don't need to _see_ your face to know that you _have_ a face," Danny retorted eloquently, grinning smugly at his scowling partner. "And you, my friend, definitely had a face."

There was a moment of silence before Steve finally shook his head and huffed out an annoyed sigh. "If you say so," he said flatly, once more crossing his arms in front of his chest. Noticing his friend's still much too pale face and the faint lines of discomfort on Danny's forehead, Steve awkwardly cleared his throat and asked quietly, "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot," Danny replied sarcastically, narrowing his eyes when he saw the shadow of barely concealed guilt crossing Steve's face. "There it is again," he added with a resolute nod of his head as he slightly raised his right hand and pointed at his partner. "Definitely kicked-puppy-face."

Instead of taking Danny's bait, Steve unfolded his arms, wordlessly grabbed the familiar, white plastic chair and sat down next to Danny's bedside.

"Hey, you alright?" Danny asked worriedly, unsuccessfully trying to suppress a hiss of pain when he sat up straighter to get a better look at the dark-haired man. He couldn't yet place his partner's odd behavior but he was more than determined to find out what was bothering him.

"Lie still," Steve reprimanded him quietly without looking Danny in the eyes. He was staring down at his hands that lay limply in his lap, his voice gentle but with a hint of resignation that Danny had actually never heard before from his friend.

Furrowing his brow, Danny watched his partner for a long moment, not really sure about how to get through to him. Sometimes Steve was as stubborn as a whole herd of mules and when he had set his mind on something it was almost impossible to disabuse him from that particular train of thought.

To buy himself a little bit more time, he looked around for the little control device to raise the head of his bed and slowly maneuvered himself into a more or less comfortable, sitting position. Danny was just about to open his mouth when Steve started to speak, his head still bowed, avoiding any eye contact with the other man.

"I'm sorry," Steve said hoarsely, jerking up his head when Danny started to chuckle. He glared at his partner for a short moment before he asked gloomily, "What's so damn funny?"

"Wow, that's a first," Danny replied good-humoredly, still chuckling quietly when he noticed the confusion on Steve's face.

"Danny, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Steve sighed angrily, forcefully scrubbing his hands over his face. "What's a first?"

"You. Apologizing." Danny waved his hands in the air and slowly pointed from Steve to himself. "For getting me shot." He flashed his partner a big grin as he contentedly snuggled deeper into his pillow. "It's actually kinda nice. I like it."

"Can't you be serious just once?" Steve replied, almost knocking over his chair when he jumped up and started to angrily pace the room. "Just once, Danny." Again he crossed his arms in front of his chest as if trying to protect himself from Danny's reaction to his following statement.

Taking a deep breath, Steve finally forced himself to stop his nervous pacing and approached Danny's bed. Looking down at his partner who curiously stared back at him, he gathered his thoughts and took a deep breath.

"Listen, man, I'm really trying to apologize here," Steve said, pleasantly surprised when Danny didn't interrupt him again. "I know I made a stupid mistake that almost got you killed…" Pausing briefly, he ran his right hand through his hair and pressed his lips together as he searched for the next words.

Frowning in confusion when he listened to his partner, Danny was wise enough to let Steve finish his little speech before he dared to ask any questions. To be honest, he didn't have the slightest idea what the man was talking about but from what he heard so far, it was pretty clear that Steve blamed himself for Danny's injury.

"I'm really sorry," Steve repeated with a little sigh, and his next statement finally helped Danny putting two and two together. "I should have been quicker. No, I never should have forgotten to replace that damn magazine," he exclaimed forcefully, sadly shaking his head. "I should have listened to you and never have shown Grace…"

"Grace!" Danny interrupted him, silently scolding himself for the fact that he hadn't thought about his daughter immediately after waking up. Sitting up straighter in his bed, he ignored the pain in his left leg and looked pleadingly at his partner. "How is she?"

"She's…" 'fine', Steve was going to say but then he slightly shook his head and locked eyes with his friend. For the blink of an eye he had been angry that Danny had interrupted him again, but he knew that Grace was the most important thing in Danny's life and he had been honestly surprised that it had taken him so long to ask for her. "She's missing you," he said, knowing instantly that he had chosen the right words when he noticed the gentle smile that spread across Danny's face. "She's with Kono right now but I promised her that she could visit as soon as you're feeling up to it."

"Thank you," Danny replied, immensely grateful for the unwavering and selfless support of his Ohana. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"Anytime," Steve said with a nod of his head, feeling a tiny bit better than a few minutes ago; even when she wasn't around in person, Danny's little girl was somehow able to soothe his agitated mind and soul.

For a short while both men dwelled on their thoughts but the moment of awkward silence was suddenly disrupted when the door opened and a nurse stepped in to check Danny's vitals and replace an almost empty IV bag. Taking a few steps backwards to give Danny some privacy and the woman enough space to work, Steve resumed his place in front of the window; staring into the bright Hawaiian sunlight he prepared himself for the upcoming conversation. So far Danny hadn't spoken at all, he hadn't shown any reaction to Steve's apology but the Ex-SEAL was certain that his partner only waited to launch into a major rant.

Squaring his shoulders when he heard the nurse leaving the room and closing the door behind her, Steve turned around and cleared his throat but before he was able to utter a single word Danny started to speak, accompanied by some of his typical, sweeping gestures.

"Okay, you big goof, now it's my turn to speak, and your turn to listen," Danny said quietly, and neither his voice nor his face were betraying his true emotions. "Sit down," he added, jerkily nodding his head toward the empty chair.

"Danny," Steve replied nervously, staying in the exact same spot as he stared at his partner. "I'm really sorry, I…"

"Uh, uh, uh, what did I just say?" Danny interrupted him immediately, scowling at the dark-haired man as he forcefully pointed at the white plastic chair. "Sit down and listen."

Cocking his head a little bit to the right, Danny watched patiently how Steve hesitated for another moment before he furrowed his brow and finally walked back to the chair.

"Okay, are you happy now?" Steve huffed out after he had dropped down, defiantly glaring at his friend. "I'm sitting and listening. And now what?"

"Now you tell me what happened at that warehouse," Danny said matter-of-factly, slightly waving his right hand in a small circle.

"I thought I should be quiet," Steve shook his head in annoyance; sometimes he really didn't understand his partner. "And now, all of a sudden, I'm supposed to talk?"

"Well, I just changed my mind," Danny replied nonchalantly, slightly shrugging his shoulders. "First you tell me what happened, and then you are quiet and listen," he explained very slowly as if Steve was an intellectually challenged child.

"Alright," Steve sighed, rolling his eyes about Danny's sudden change of mind. Right now he wasn't in the right mood to argue with the other man, so he just gave in and started to talk. "There's really not much to tell; the short version is that we ran directly into a trap. Obviously there was a mole at HPD who fed us the wrong information and we were stupid enough to believe everything without checking."

"That's it?" Danny asked, raising his eyebrows about those simple explanations.

"That's it," Steve confirmed, screwing up his face as he nodded slowly.

"Wow," Danny said, staring pensively at his partner. "That's… that's a little embarrassing, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Steve agreed, sheepishly scratching his chin. "But we got the mole; a young officer, straight from the academy, who thought that he would be able to make quick money. He obviously sang like a canary once HPD found out who he was," he added, smiling in grim satisfaction when he remembered the phone calls to Chin and Sergeant Lukela. "It's just a matter of time until we will be able to shut down the whole arms dealer ring."

"Good," Danny chimed in, more than satisfied that the bad guys would soon be behind bars; he really hated to get played. Shifting angrily in his bed, he grimaced in pain when he momentarily forgot about his injury and bumped his left leg into the bed rail. "Dammit," he hissed, gently rubbing his hand across the bandage on his thigh, breathing deeply in and out until the pain reduced to a bearable level.

"I'm sorry," Steve said quietly, once more apologizing to his partner. He hated himself for being the reason for Danny's pain and he just hoped that the other man would eventually accept his apology.

Looking up when he heard the whispered words, Danny immediately noticed the expression of unconcealed guilt on Steve's face and jerkily raised his hands. "Okay, you moron, stop it right now," he exclaimed angrily, ignoring the pain in his leg when he shifted his weight. "None of this is your fault, okay?"

Opening his mouth to disagree with his partner, Steve blinked in surprise when Danny practically leaped forward and pointed his forefinger right in Steve's face. He quickly leaned back to bring as much space as possible between him and his friend, defensively folding his arms as he snapped his mouth shut and glared back at Danny.

"Do you hear me, Steven?" Danny asked, staying in the same position for a few seconds before he slowly leaned back and breathed out a relieved sigh when the pressure on his leg lessened noticeably. "I said, none of this is your fault and I really mean it."

Running both hands over his hair, Danny pensively locked eyes with his partner and heaved another deep sigh. Searching for the right words he silently waved his hands through the air before he finally dropped them in his lap. "I agree with you, that it was a completely idiotic idea to let Grace play with your weapon in the first place," he said tiredly, shuddering unconsciously when he remembered the gun in his daughter's hands. "And yes, you probably should have thought about putting the ammo clip back in place."

Silencing Steve with a slight shake of his head and fast flick of his wrist, Danny continued without giving the other man the chance to interrupt him. "But I'm your partner; I should also have made sure that everything was alright. It was a moment of absolute chaos; we were both distracted by all the phone calls to the Governor and to Grace's babysitter and to all those other people…" His voice trailed off as he thought about the exact moment when Steve had put the weapon back into his holster but as much he tried to he just couldn't remember. "Such things should never happen, but unfortunately sometimes they do and as much as we'd like to, we cannot undo them," Danny sighed, chuckling quietly about the thought that he sounded very much like a fortune cookie.

"Nevertheless it was my fault and I almost got you killed," Steve choked out, quickly averting his eyes when he saw Danny's annoyed scowl.

"Yes, I almost died and believe me, it's an experience I don't want to relive ever again," Danny huffed out, shaking his head about his friend's stubbornness. "But we're all human, Steven. Even you! And we all make mistakes."

"But that's different," Steve insisted, still not looking up to meet Danny's gaze.

"Oh, that's different? And why exactly is that different, Steven?" Danny asked exasperatedly, agitatedly waving his hands when his friend kept silent and only shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Alright you stubborn jerk, now tell me one thing," he demanded impatiently, taking a deep breath to keep the looming headache at bay. The talk with Steve was really tiring him but Danny was determined to make his partner aware that the whole mess was definitely not his fault before he allowed himself to get back to rest.

"How long did you actually need to – firstly – draw your weapon," Danny asked, stretching out the thumb of his right hand, quickly followed by the other four fingers in turn. "Secondly, realize that there was no magazine in it; thirdly, make the decision to either grab your spare weapon or to replace the magazine; fourthly, carry out whatever action you've chosen; and fifthly, actually shoot back?"

Steve winced in surprise when Danny listed exactly all the thoughts that had crossed his mind in the short moment after he had realized that he had been out of ammo, but before he was able to even think about an answer, Danny already responded to his own question.

"Knowing you, that whole scenario probably lasted no more than two or three seconds," Danny said with a little sigh. "And now look at me and tell me if you really think those two or three seconds would have made a difference." He stared silently at the other man until Steve finally raised his head and locked eyes with his partner.

"Probably not," Steve finally whispered hesitantly after a long moment of silence, the guilt still prominent in his face.

"Damn right," Danny agreed forcefully as he wearily rubbed his forehead. "We could have done so many things differently, Steve. We could have rechecked the information, we could have waited for backup, we could have tried to stay inside. But we chose not to. We chose to get out and seek cover behind the car. Dang it, that was obviously the wrong decision. Life's a bitch, isn't it?"

"But you almost died," Steve chimed in, briefly squeezing his eyes shut to fight back the gruesome memories of the day before.

"And you saved my life," Danny retorted instantly, once more leaning forward to make his point clear. "Maybe you made a mistake, Steve, but as I said before, that's only human. And you made up for it by saving my life – big time."

Looking pensively at his partner, Danny slowly stretched out his right hand. "Thank you," he said solemnly, slightly nodding his head.

Hesitating for a short moment, Steve took a deep breath before he also leaned forward and shook Danny's offered hand. "You're welcome," he answered, a tentative smile gradually replacing the expression of guilt and worry. Part of him still thought that what had happened was his fault, but Danny's words and the fact that his partner would be alright had taken a lot of guilt from his soul and Steve was finally able to relax a little bit. Sighing in relief, he swore silently that he would never again allow himself to make such a stupid mistake. "You're very welcome, Danny," Steve repeated with a genuine smile, releasing Danny's hand as he leaned back in his chair. "And I'm glad that you're alright."

"Yeah, me too," Danny replied, blinking tiredly as he looked around for the control device to lower the head of his bed. Sighing contentedly when he lay flat on his back he suddenly found it incredibly difficult to keep his eyes open. "I think I'm gonna take another nap," he said, suppressing a yawn as he flashed Steve a sheepish grin. "Can I leave you alone for a minute or are you gonna blow up the whole island?"

Slowly standing up, Steve good-humoredly rolled his eyes about Danny's comment but he once more chose not to take the bait. "Take your nap," he said, walking to the foot of the bed and placing his hands on the bed rail. "I think I'll use the opportunity and check on your car."

"Oh God, yes, my car," Danny exclaimed, heaving a frustrated sigh when he thought about all the bullets that had hit the Camaro. Looking up, he narrowed his eyes at the expression of pleasant anticipation on Steve's face and slowly shook his head. "No, no, no, Steven, I know that face. Don't you dare start with the old 'Swiss cheese joke', that's so not funny," he said determinately, silently congratulating himself for being such an expert in knowing his partner when Steve pursed his lips and tried to mask his disappointment that Danny had guessed the little joke he had planned.

Unable to hide another yawn, Danny slightly pulled up the thin blanket that covered his body and tried to shoo Steve out of the room with a wave of his hand. "Now go, I'm really tired," he said, glaring playfully at Steve until his partner finally gave in and slowly walked toward the door. "After all I got shot and that really, really hurts," Danny complained as he tried to find a more comfortable position and his left leg immediately started to protest against the movement.

"Oh, come on, Danny," Steve said, placing his hand on the door handle; he smiled brightly as he winked at his friend and added teasingly, "Don't be such a girl, it's only a scratch." He knew full well that Danny's injury had been far more than a simple scratch but he also knew that the familiar banter helped them both to come to terms with the fact that Danny had almost died.

Slowly opening the door, Steve waited for the inevitable reply that came according to expectations a second later.

"Only a scratch?" Danny huffed out indignantly, staring at his partner as if he had lost his mind. "Only a scratch? I almost bled to death, you animal, I…"

"Love you too, Danno," Steve interrupted him cheekily, and a moment later he was out of the door, leaving a bitching and ranting, but very much alive, Danny behind.

**THE END**


End file.
